Research Lesson Steps
Mini-lesson
When conducting research investigations students will work in teams. Teams need to work together on selecting responsibilities, deciding who will do what job, and how they plan to work together. The team will also decide what resources they will use, how they will gather information, and how the information will be organized as it is collected.
1. Research steps
Handout the Research questions that students will be responsible for researching.
Each student will be a researcher, reviewing the questions that he/she has been assigned.
Students will be introduced to various research materials such as almanacs, encyclopedia, CD’s Encarta, Internet, atlas, dictionary, and books on states.
2. Considerations for Planning
Students will decide independently which reference materials would be most appropriate to answer their assigned questions.
3. Questions for students to ask:
Where can I find the information?
Can I find it on a CD-ROM?
If I go to the Internet, where is the best place to start?
What search engines would work best?
www.metacrawler.com, www.50states.com, www.time.gov, and www.google.com.
Where would be the best place to look for information that is not dependent upon current dated material?
What other ways can research be gathered? Students will be encouraged to consider personal interviews or phone interviews. Students may call a city’s Chamber of Commerce to gather information about the mystery city.
4. Students will then discover independently answers to their questions and record it on their Research Sheet. They will be encouraged to select high quality sources independently and efficiently. Select resources with mixed access.
5. Collect, organize the information for the content that is to be placed in the PowerPoint. Students will write their information on the research sheet.
Once the information has been completed then students will sort and summarize the information that will be written on the storyboard.
6. Students will meet in groups to have research questions assigned to them. Groups will decide which questions each member will be responsible for researching.
7. Each group will start their research. Allow a week for the research.
StoryBoarding
Mini-lesson
Intro—the storyboard represents the monitor screen or an outline of your presentation. The hardcopy shows how the screen will look to the storyboarder. All information (both text and graphics) which appears on the screen will be drawn on the hard copy—storyboard.
A storyboard is an outline or plan of your presentation.
1. We will be mapping our thoughts in form of a storyboard.
2. When you map out your thoughts you are going to give special instructions as to how what your screen will look like. Including background color, color of text, comments about animation, audio, or video segments, and any other information that describes what you want the screen to like or perform. Remember all the instructions need to complement the topic and content.
3. The text area will contain the information or content you want your audience to know. Write the text in its entirety on the lines provided or on the back of the storyboard.
4. Do an example on the overhead and then review due date.
Important points to cover:
· This design process will map out where everything will go on your computer screen including:
o images/pictures, --picture detail, name of picture
o audio-what sound will enhance the ppt presentation
o text—complete text written on bottom or back of story board page
o video—if you want to down load the video from an internet site, please write the site on the story board page.
o The complete presentation will be 8-12 slides or story board sheets
3. Show examples of how to storyboard using the overhead. Ask for students to assist in completing the storyboard. Students will take notes and then practice creating the storyboard.
Screen Design
Screen design is an important step for the groups to consider as they decide what would be the best way to communicate their content to their audience. Students individually review the Screen Design powerpoint as they learn how to create a great presentation when they consider
Questions to ask students:
Do the special effects add interest, or distract?
What design elements enhanced the viewing of the presentation and why?
Students will open their screen design powerpoint and will advance through it as a tutorial.
PowerPoint slides will address the layout colors for background, text, and background
· Fonts
· Card Composition
· Each card should contain:
· 4 C’s
· Content
· Consistency
· Creativity
· Card composition
· Evaluation of a fair to excellent presentation
· Remember the 4 C’s
Optional: Create a worksheet that students complete as they view the Screen Design PowerPoint.